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(No Model') E. B. BENHAM.

VALVE' GEAR. No. 401,730. Patented Apr. 23, 1889.

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Nirnn artnr @ritieni ELIJAH B. BENllAlll, OF PROVTDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

VALVE=G EAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,730, dated April 23, 1889.

Application filed June 29, 1888. Serial No. 278,599. (No model.)

To all 1071/0771, t may concern.-

e it known that I, ELIJAH B. BENHAM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valve-Gear,of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to a mechanical movement for securing, from a reciprocating motion. of a lever, a rotary mot-ion of a sleevelilce part, with relation to a shaft embraced thereby, and a rotary motion of the said shaft with relation to the said sleeve, said mechanicalmovement being applicable in a variety of situations and particularly as a means for operating a rot-ary valve-such as is comprised in multiple-cylindersteam-engines and water-motors, described in various Letters Patent of the United States granted to me April 10, 1888, and in an application for Letters Patent filed by me December 19,1887, Serial No. 258,280; and the invention consist-s in the construction and combination of parts substantiallyas will be hereinafter more fully described, and set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which the parts constituting the mechanical movement of the present invention are shown as applied on and in relation to the crank-shaft and valve of a multiplecylinder engine of the class above referred to, Figure 1 being an end view thereof, with the casing shown as in section on the liuc Y Y, Fig. 2, said Fig. 2 being a longitudinal vertical section on the line X X, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A .represents the head of a multi pl e-cylinder engine, provid ed with radial cylinders l5, wherein pistons C are provided, acting upon the common crank or wrist pin D of the driving-shaft E, a valve, F, of sleeve form being placed about the said shaft for rotation thereon to control. the passage of steam from the steam-supply chamber o to the passages Z), leading to said cylinders, and to permit of the passage of the exhaust therefrom, all substantially as set forth in said application,led under said Serial No. 258,280. The said driving-shaft is rearwardly extended, as shown, to the outer end of which a spurgear, fl, is secured, and the tubular shank -t of the sleeve-shaped valve is also rearwardly extended into proximity .with the end of the driving-shaft, where it is provided with a similar spur-gear, 5, xed thereon, and two sets of pinions, G 6 and 10 l0, mesh, respectively, with the shaft-gear 8 and the valve-gear 5, the opposing pinions of each set being carried by, but capable of an independent rotation on, pintles 7, common to both such opposing pinions, said pintles being supported at each end in the rear and front walls, 8 and 9, of the inclosing-casing; and the said casingwalls 8 and 9 are mounted on the center rim, 19, of a suitable supportin0standard, 11, and are free 'for rotation, but constrained to move the one with the other, being joined by the pinion-pintles 7.

Circular racks 12 and 15, or gears having their teeth internally disposed, mesh with the pinions 6 and 10 of each series, and are supported thereon and thereby eoncentrieally with the gears 8 and 5.

To the lower side of one circular rack, 12, at a point thereof outside of a vertical line drawn through its center, the upper end Of a lin k-lever, 18, is connected, and a similar linklever, 20, by its upper end, is also connected to the other circular rack, 15, at a similar distance the other side of its central vertical line, as indicated in Fig.1,both of said link-levers being, by their lower ends, pivoted at a common intermediate point, 25, of a handle-lever, 2G, pivotally hung by its inner end to an earpiece of the standard 11, a suitable ratchet portion, 28, of the said standard, with which the outer end of the handle-lever may engage, servingl as means for retaining the levers and the connected internal gears in any adjusted position.

Under the rotation of the driving-shaftthe gear 3, carried thereby, is rotated, and a revolution of each of the pinions G is secured about the shaft-axis, for by their meshing with the teeth of the then immovable internal gear and rotated by the said gear 8 they must travel with their axes in a circular path, and the pi nions o' of one set being joined by their axial pintles 7 with the pinions 10 of the other set the pinions of the said latter set are revolved or caused to move in a circular path in unison with the :first-named set, and said latter set 10 being in mesh with the rotatable valvegear 5 and also with the teeth of the then immovable internal gear, 15, said valve-gear is .necessarily rotated, and with it the valve, at a corresponding rate and in consonance with the main shaft; but on a movement of the lever-handle in the proper direction the racks are partially rotated in reverse directions, and the movement of the one rack will retard the rotation of the pinion or secure its rotation in the reverse direction, the rotation ot' the shaftbeing retarded or rcversed,while the other series of axially-joined pinions are at the same time by the other rack given an accelerated rotation, securing a corresponding action on the valve-gear, the result being in substance that the valve partially rotates on and with relation to the shaft, and the shaft partially rotates in and with relation to the valve, the change of the relative positions effecting a reversal of the motor, it being understood that at the time of the rotation ot' the shaft the side Walls, 8 and 9, of the casing carrying the pinions rotate, as said pinions supported therein are caused to revolve and travel around the internal track of the rack-gears 12 and 15.

What I claim as my invention isa 1. A shaft and a sleeve thereon, each pro vided With a gear, the rotatable walls S and 9, one or more pinions, G, and one or more pinions, 10, supported and capable of an independent rotation on pintles 7, which are extended between and supported in said Walls S and .0,

the said pinions respectively meshing with said shaft and sleeve-gears, combined with the internal gears, 12 and 15, normally immovable, having their teeth in engagement with said pinions, and m eans, substantially as described, for securing` a partial rotation of said internal gears in reverse directions, substantially as described.

2. The crank-shaft E and sleeve-valve F, each provided with a gear, 3 and 5, the standard 11, having the circular rim 19 and the ratcheted edge 28, the Walls 8 and 9, rotatable on said rim 19, two series of pinions, 6 and 10, supported and capable of an independent rotation on pintles 7, which are extended between and supported on said Walls S and 9, the said pinions meshing with said gears 3 and 5, combined with the internal gears, 12 and 1.5, normally immovable, having their teeth in engagement with said pinions, the handlelever 2G by its inner end pivoted to said standard and capable of engagement by its handlel end with said ratcheted face 28, and the linklevers 18 and 20, each pivoted by one end to the said handle-lever and by their other ends pivoted to the said internal gears, 12 and 15, respectively, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

ELIJAH B. BENHAM.

1V itnesses:

ll. A. CHAPIN, G. M. CHAMBERLAIN. 

